Direction-indicator for automobiles



B. 'CARLISLE. DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATIQN FILED JUNE 24, I919.

1,353,023. PatentedSept. 14,1920.

2 swans-swan I. I! .1:

ivvevv ran,

Ar'TO/PNEYS B. CARLISLE. v DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' v APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1919; 1,353,023.

m MI...I. -E

r laz 37x 9/ iii/ EH IIIII. I I 4 m m w the semaphore on the DIRECTION-INDICATOR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed June 24,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BERT CARLISLE, a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Santa Ana, in the county of Orange and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Direction-Indicators for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to make an improved direction indicator, and my invention consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile provided with a direction indicator embodying the principles of my invention, parts being broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail of lines 3-3 of Figs. 2 and 4 and looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional detail on the lines4-4 of Figs. 1 and 3 and looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail elevation of the controller, the view being taken on the same plane as Fig. 1 and on the plane parallel with Fig. 7, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 5 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional detail on the lines 6-6 of Figs. 5 and 7.

Fig.7 is a fragmentary sectional elevation on a plane parallel with Fig. 5 and on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional the transmission construction.

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail of the semaphore arm, the view being taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 4, and the housing being omitted and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.-

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, thesemaphore construction -1 is mounted upon the left-hand rear fender 2, and the controller construction 3 is mounted upon the steering post 4. The controller 3 is connected to the semaphore 1' by a transmission construction 5.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4. the details of the semaphore construction 1 are as fol lows:

Angle irons 6 and 7 are placed crosswiseof the fender 2 and secured in place by rivets 8 and 9. A rear housing plate 10 is secured to the angle iron 6 and extends updetail of Specification of Letters Patent. Patentgd Sept. 14 1920.

1919. I Serial No. 306,431.

wardly crosswise of the fender 2. A front housing plate 11 is secured to the angle iron 7 and extends upwardly parallel with the housing plate 10, said housing plates 10 and 11. being secured to the angle irons 6 and 7 b rivets 12 and 13. An inside housing p ate 14 is secured to the inner edges of the front and rear housing plates 11 and 10. The housing plates 10 and 11 may be of wood, and the housing plate 14 is preferably sheet iron and nails or rivets 15 are inserted through the edges of the sheet iron into the edges of the plates 10 and 11. I

The housing plate 14 has a portion 16 extending upwardly and outwardly over the ends of the plates 10 andll. A housing plate 17 extends upwardly a short distance from the fender 2 and is secured to the outer edges of the plates 10 and 11 thus leaving an opening 18 leading outwardly from between the plates 10 and 11 between the upper edge of the plate 17 and the lower outer edge ofthe portion 16 of the plate 14.

A block 19 is secured to the inner face of the plate 10, brackets 20 and 21 are secured to the inner face of the block 19, and guide rollers 22 and 23 are mounted in the brackets 20 and 21. The semaphore arm 24 is mounted to swing into and out of the box thus constructed.

The details of 'the semaphone arm 24 are as follows:

A cylindrical weight 25 has flat ends, and the face plates 26 and 27 are placed against the flat ends of the weight 25 and secured in place by a rivet 28. The face plates 26 and 27 have window openings 29 and 30 in which the glass plates 31 and 32 are mount-- ed. The plates 26 and 27 are preferably wood and the plates are recessed from their inner faces around the openings 29 and 30 to receive the glass plates 31 and 32, and moldings 33 and 34 are secured to the inner faces of the plates 26 and 27 and overlap the edges of the glass plates to hold the glass in place. The edges of the plates 26 and 27 are connected by a binding plate 35 extending from theweight 25 all the way around and back to the weight 25. A supporting bar 36 is inserted crosswise between the two parts of the binding plate 35, a lamp socket site horizontal position.

, ing

ing plate 35 to a binding post 41 mounted upon the fender 2.

The cord 39 is slack enough to allow the semaphore arm to swing and the cord 42 leads from the binding post 41 to the electric generator and switch, not shown, so that the lamp 38 may be turned on or ofi as desired.

A pivot pin 43 is inserted through the housing plates 10 and 11 and through the face plates 26 and 27 to pivotally mount the semaphore arm to swing from the vertical position shown in Fig. 4 outwardly and downwardly to the position shown in Fi 2. The pivot p'in'43 is mounted near the weight 25 so that there is room for the weight to swing in the chamber 40 upwardly past the brackets 20 and 21 while the point 44 of the semaphore arm swings out of the chamber 40 to serve as a direction indicator for the automobile.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 7,-the details of the controller 3 are asfollows: 1

The housing plate 45 is seated against the steering post 4 and held in grooved, pulley 48 and screw threaded and ammed into the plate 45.. Guide roller brackets 49 and 50 are secured to the inner face of the plate 45 and guide rollers '51 and 52 are mounted in the brackets. A cord 53 is secured rigidly at one end to the grooved pulley 48 and extends over the guide rollers 51 and 52. A handle 54 is secured to the pulley 48 and extends outwardly in a radial line from the stud bolt 47. Flanges 55 and 56 extend from the vertical side edges of the plate 45 and from the rounded upper edge of the plate. The indicator plate 57 fits against the flanges 55 and 56 and is secured in lace by screws 58 so as to cover the pul ey 48, the guide rollers 51 and 5 2, and the'cord 53, there being a slot 59 between the upper parts of the flanges 55 and 56 and the head portion 60 of the plate 57, so that the handle 54 may operate in the slot 59 from a horizontal posltion over to the oppo- The normal position of the handle 54 is backwardly and downwardly, as shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 7, and at this time the semaphore arm 24 is in the box, as in Fig. 4. The edge 61 of the portion 60 is concentric to the stud bolt 47, and the indications R, L and S are formed upon the outer face of the plate with the arrows 62, 63 and 64 pointto catch notches 65, Y66 and 67 formed from the outer edge 61. A leaf spring catch 68 is secured to the handle 54 and bears against the edge 61 so that it will snap intoand out of the notches 65, 66 and 67.

When the operator proposes to turn to the right he moves the handle 54 upwardly until the catch 68 stops in the notch then the semaphore arm 24 will be swung ed upon the steering post 4, and the tube place by a clip brackets 20 and 21.

'46. A stud bolt 47 is inserted through a out of the box to an upper angle of about 45, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. If the operator proposes to turn to the left he will move the handle 54 until the catch 68 stops in the notch 66 this will swing the semaphore arm 24 outwardly and downwardly to'a horizontal position, as'shown by the dotted lines 69 in Fig. 2. If the operatorproposes to stop he will swing the handle 54 over 'until the catch 68 reaches the notch 67 and this will move the semaphore arm 24 to the lower angle of 45, as shown by'thedotted lines 70 in Fig. 2.

Referringto Figs. 1, 3, 4, 6,,7 and 8, the details of the transmission construction 5- are as follows:

The tube 71 is connected to the bracket clamps 72 and 73, said clamps being mountis bent and extends dbwnwardly and backwardly under the foot board 74 upwardly under the tender 2 and upwardly to the attaching plate7 5, said attaching plate being secured to the fender 2 in line with the The cord 53 extends from the grooved pulley 48 over the guide rollers 51 and 52, through the tube '71 upwardly into the chamber 40 over the guide rollers 22 and 23 around the weight 25 and is attached to the 5 semaphore arm 24 by-a pin-7 6.

As the handle 54 swings from its normal position over to the stop position the cord 1 53 winds upon the pulley 48." The weight 25 more than overbalances the other end of the semaphore arm 24,- so that when the handle 54 pulls the cord one way the Weight 25 will pull the cord the other way when the handle swings the other way and the cord is adjusted exactly to the length required to hold the parts-taut. The handle 54 normally extends downwardly and backwardly at right angles to the steering post 4 directly below the steering wheel 77 so as to be within convenient reach of the operator.

. Thus I have produced a simple direction. indicator for automobiles and the like having a single semaphore arm adapted to be conveniently mounted and adapted to be operated from a single lever conveniently 115 mounted upon the steering post to show the four indications desired of a direction indicator, that is normal or neutral position indicating that the operator proposes to go straight ahead, a position indicating an in- 120 tention to turn to the left, another position indicating an intention to turn to the right, and another position indicating an intention Various changes may be made without de- 12 5 parting from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

A direction indicator for automobiles, including a housing'adapted to contain a sema- 1 0 *phone arm pivotally mounted in the .base and a cord extending aroimd the Weight and thereof and having aweight for'ove r-balancover said pulley W ereby the arm may be ing the arm so that it will remain in a. vertiswung outwardly into various signaling po- '10 cal posltlon Within the casing and comsitions,

5 .pletely out of sight from the front and rear; In testimony whereof I have signed my 'a pulley within the housing, positioned name to this specification;

above and rearwardly of the arm pivot; BERT CARLISLE. 

